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About Leon and Ibiza

The Ibiza and the Leon are the two cars that defined SEAT for decades. The Ibiza arrived in 1984 as the first SEAT designed independently of Fiat, styled by Giorgetto Giugiaro and powered by engines developed with input from Porsche, a pedigree that gave the little hatchback a sporting reputation from day one. It became SEAT's best-selling model and a staple of Spanish streets, and later generations moved onto Volkswagen Group hardware, with the current car sharing its bones with the Volkswagen Polo.

The Leon followed in 1999 as a sportier alternative to the Volkswagen Golf, and it built a fan base with hot versions such as the Leon Cupra and a long career in touring-car racing. The fourth generation, launched in 2020, comes as a hatchback and an estate, and it is now sold in two forms: the SEAT Leon and the punchier Cupra Leon, with plug-in hybrid and high-performance VZ versions. Track-focused variants such as the Leon VZ TCR keep the racing spirit alive.

Both cars sit at the center of a debate about SEAT's future, as the Volkswagen Group shifts investment to Cupra and reports suggest the SEAT brand could eventually be wound down or repurposed. For now, the Ibiza competes with the Polo, the Renault Clio and the Peugeot 208, while the Leon takes on the Golf, the Ford Focus and the Hyundai i30. Reviews, long-term tests, updates and SEAT's strategic news appear here.